Looks like the Suns are going to fire Porter. Why can't the Coyotes follow the lead. Something must be done. Gretzky, quit being so damned stubborn and demote yourself already. You will only gain more of my respect if you do so!!!!!!!

No matter who the guy is, no Coach in the NHL should be making $7+ million per season. Nobody in any League should be making that much money to coach. It's outrageous. I just hope that the rumours are false for the sake of the franchise. It's money not well spent.

Well look If he is getting $7m then Moyes is an idiot and he made the bed he a laying in. Just we as fans have to suffer for this poor choice. Pho I will say that this $7m figure came from 2 different sources in the G&M and locally by Gambo, two entities that are separate of one another.

2. Probably more importantly, this teams is using Gretzky to try to broker a sale to new investors. Under such circumstances, I'd be shocked if the team did anything to alienate Gretzky or distance his role with the team.
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We would not be this deep in this situation if we had a real coach who could make the playoffs last year and this year... People start paying attention to teams that win. Thats what we need, more people buying into the coyotes.
We are in fact too deep right now though and we will stick with gretz till the end of the season. I do not want to see him back here next season though.

The fans of Phoenix deserve a good hockey team, Like the one they had before gretz took up coaching

No matter who the guy is, no Coach in the NHL should be making $7+ million per season. Nobody in any League should be making that much money to coach. It's outrageous. I just hope that the rumours are false for the sake of the franchise. It's money not well spent.

No matter who the guy is, no Coach in the NHL should be making $7+ million per season. Nobody in any League should be making that much money to coach. It's outrageous. I just hope that the rumours are false for the sake of the franchise. It's money not well spent.

Gretzky won't ever be fired but he could decide to step down as coach and remain with the team in a different capacity. It's not all his fault, the players need to be accountable on the ice. Olli was a complete mistake in my mind, the yotes should've kept Ballard and Boynton.

Looks like the Suns are going to fire Porter. Why can't the Coyotes follow the lead. Something must be done. Gretzky, quit being so damned stubborn and demote yourself already. You will only gain more of my respect if you do so!!!!!!!

I don't know about demote. I am hoping he will promote himself to somewhere in the front office where he can be the figure head he has proven himself good at.

Gretzky won't ever be fired but he could decide to step down as coach and remain with the team in a different capacity. It's not all his fault, the players need to be accountable on the ice. Olli was a complete mistake in my mind, the yotes should've kept Ballard and Boynton.

Hindsight is 20 20...to be honest i think the Yotes would be in the same position if they had kept Ballard and Boynton.

Wrong. The performance of this 08/09 defense shows it too(before this losing streak which is not their fault). They are a respectable corps and better than last years.

Sauer is the one we are comparing to Ballard first of all. This is because Sauer replaces Ballard minutes, Klee does not replace Ballard's minutes. I would say Sauer is better than Ballard defensively and Ballard is better than Sauer offensively. Only problem? Ballard on this team would be in more of a shut down role and constricted offensively once again. Remember the Ballard/Morris paring? Sauer is a fine replacement for Ballard once you factor in Yandle's increased offensive production.

So we go to Boynton / Klee. Boynton is probably a better leader and he is definitely tougher. But I always found him a bit clunky out there on occasion and somewhat stationary except when he loses the play to make a hit..... Klee is a little more savy and works better with his stick on defense. Boynton is obviously better offensively. I think in the end Boynton wins this battle but we are talking about 5/6 defensemen so it's not a HUGE issue.

Now for Vrbata / Jokinen. Obviously there is something wrong between the Ears of Jokinen. But we can't ignore the collapse Vrbata last season either. I think they are about the same in the end.

Now this is where it gets Dicey. EVERY move that has been made worked. The only thing that didn't? Olli's production and effort. NO ONE thought the huge loss of both Ballard and Boynton would result in a BETTER defensive team this year, but it has. The Sauer and Klee pickups are nothing short of brilliant. So in the end I think the trade was pretty good, but at some point the players have to perform; and Jokinen isn't. You place a Florida like 75 pt Jokinen on this team I'm positive they are still in a playoff spot and not in this funk. That doesn't make it a bad trade even in hindsight and it still to me looks like a good trade in theory which is all you can really do until the chips are down and the season begins.

So to use your summation:
Sauer = Ballard (if he were still on the Yotes)
Klee < Boynton (not by much given the role)
Jokinen=Vrbata.
Yandle09 > Yandle08

= Better D corps + the theoretical 75pt Jokinen. As I said, he just is failing. The GM did a masterful job and should be commended. Jokinen and maybe TGO are to blame.

Right now everyone seems to be giving up so I don't think we can fairly judge this teams performance without removing the play of these last 10 games.

This team has some good solid young talent but they are horribly coached. I have never seen a team that changes up on offensive breaks so often. They are afraid to shoot looking for the perfect shot. They never sustain an offensive rush. No one sets up in front of the net. They can't pass or accept a pass. Their power play is horrendous.

Its all about coaching. The Gretzky experiment is over. He was supposed to help draw fans. He is so fan unfriendly. He must go NOW

Gretzky's coaching and player selection has been suspicious/bad but really REALLY, the players have also to be better. Most players are having ridiculous brain cramps on the ice and the decision making, particularly by some veterans, is just horrid.

It did dawn on me on HNIC after the Flames meltdown (pun) Crawford was interviewing DeMo and asked how the team has been handling all the financial meltdown news. For what it's worth DeMo said that he hasn't felt anything different at the players level. I suspect reading between the lines with all the trade rumors, financial rumors that it's taking a toll on a fragile team and may be contributing to our slide. I still think TGO needs to step aside (we all know he isn't getting fired, esp since he is paid more than any other player) just saying their may be more to the picture.

Despite my earlier calls to step aside, he might serve a useful function to pool a new owner(s) and that trumps coaching at this point. Ulf and Sulliman-der need to go and we need fresh new assistant coaches if TGO is to stay. Incl. someone specifically assigned to Special Teams and No Panic Yanic back to teach face offs. I would give him 1 last season. Just seems to me that the Coach is always reactive and fixes one problem but turns his back on another. i.e. Face Offs, we have gotten a little better, but what we do with it after we win has slide.

Yeah...regardless of what they're telling you....it's taking it toll. Too much negativity surrounding the team at the wrong time. It's like the movie Groundhog Day for them. Waking up to the same b.s....yet trying to find a way out of the city and away from Punxsutawney Phil.

I appreciate his affiliation with the Coyotes, but he's not getting the job done as a head coach. I'm afraid that, despite our improving talent, this team will continue to under achieve under the leadership of TGO.

Now that I'm not feeling angsty and vindictive about another loss, and against my better judgment, I would give him one more year. But the assistant coaches all have to go, if there are better options available.